As hospitals across rural America close their doors each year, Memorial Hospital in Chester has been a leader in healthcare in the region for 60 years and continues to thrive. Since the doors opened on October 12, 1962, Memorial has been dedicated to growing for the future of healthcare to meet the community’s needs.
Throughout Memorial Hospital's 60 years, there has been a focus of growing to meet the needs of our rural community. One thing that has remained constant is the care and compassion we have for our patients. The way we care for them though, has progressed through advancements in medical technology and innovations. By incorporating the latest and greatest technology and equipment into our healthcare facility, we are able to provide modern treatments to help our patients heal faster. Patients can receive many of the same advancements in care as they can in larger hospitals in St. Louis and surrounding metropolitan areas, right here in Chester. Improved diagnostic imaging software and equipment enables doctors to provide a better diagnosis, which, leads to quicker treatment and healing. Upgrades in various equipment throughout the hospital from a new electronic health record system to safety features in patients' rooms help better connect our staff to our patients and ensure the patients' health and safety remain top priority.
Memorial’s most recent updates has included the remodel of Same Day Surgery and the Infusion and Chemo Therapy Departments in 2016. In 2017, improvements were made in the lower level of the hospital to add an employee training room, new Sleep Study rooms, IT Department and restrooms. The main entrance of the hospital received a face-lift in 2018 with the complete renovation of the main entrance and registration area, outside canopy drop off, and improved ER waiting room and registration area. In 2019 a new double elevator and stair addition was added. In 2020, the lower level of the northeast wing was renovated to improve office spaces for the Medical Records Department, Business Office, Administrative Staff and Boardroom. Even during a pandemic, in 2021, Memorial held strong and moved forward with renovations to the new Medical Surgical Unit and ICU, which now occupies the upper level of the south wing. Most recently, in 2022, the new Memorial Community Pharmacy was added in the west wing along with a newly renovated location for Cardiopulmonary and Nuclear Medicine. If you have been in the hospital recently you have noticed how walls continue to move and new hallways seem to sprout up overnight. We thank you all for your continued patience as our crews work vigorously to build for your future.
As Memorial grows to meet the future healthcare needs of the community the focus is on safety, convenience, patient and employee work flows, and meeting ADA standards and compliance. “We anticipate that the added enhancements will greatly improve the customer experience along with the continued exceptional medical care provided by Memorial Hospital Staff,” remarks Brett Bollmann, Memorial Hospital CEO. “We are proud of the hard work our healthcare teams put in to ensure their departments provide the most modern treatments with the best equipment and technology. Everyone works together for the goal of providing the best quality care possible for our community.”
The community can expect continued renovations and improvements at Memorial over the next 5 years as future improvements will be made to the Specialty Clinic and Lab Draw facilities, the Gift Shop will experience a remodel, and the hospital plans for a new Medical Office Building in 2023 to further improve patient convenience. As Memorial looks towards the future of healthcare they plan to continue to expand services, classes, and community programs to create an environment for a healthier community. Follow Memorial on Facebook this year for historical highlights and information on future projects as we celebrate our 60th Year.
For more on the history of Memorial and a look at then and now, checkout this month's Special Edition of our quarterly newsletter, "The Lamp."
